Enjoying Gluten-Free Life

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery gives us an inside look into their products. Their certified gluten-free products include breads in original, multigrain (my husband likes sandwiches with it) and cinnamon raisin (I love this stuff), pizza crust, and both hamburger and hotdog multigrain buns.

As I researched Rudi’s, I discovered a website that includes a gluten-free blog and recipes (most but not all with their products in them). 

I want to thank Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery for taking the time to tell us more about their company. (And be clear that I didn’t get paid for posting this.) I hope you enjoy learning more about them.

Can you share a bit about how you learned to make good gluten-free bread? We’ve all had things that didn’t work out when we learned to bake gluten-free. Could you share something that didn’t work – a particular flour or ingredient?

Our final product took over a year to develop.  And after a lot of trial and error – we tested more than 100 formulas – we finally landed on a recipe that we believe tastes, looks and feels like regular bread. The process is an art of combining different flours, and the science of what works well together.  There were a lot of failures before we got it right.  Our advice for GF bakers out there is to have patience! 

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery has reached out to the gluten-free community in a big way. Your gluten-free blog ranked in the top 25, you’re partnering with organizations to help educate doctors, and you have many gluten-free recipes that include your bread (and some that don’t but are simply gluten-free.) How are you learning about our gluten-free world to know what we need? Do you have celiacs or the gluten intolerant on your team?

We are in constant contact with gluten-free organizations, like the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness and the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, who help counsel us on the latest issues in the celiac and gluten-free communities.  Through social networking on Facebook and Twitter, along with monitoring the blog scene, we hear what the celiac and gluten intolerant communities like, don’t like, and new products they would like to see.  We hear their complaints, their praises, and the challenges they face each day living gluten-free.  Our fans’ comments are invaluable to us as we work to create the best tasting gluten-free bread out there.

We have a few gluten intolerant staff members on our team here at Rudi’s.  They are a great resource when we are looking for opinions and feedback.  Last year we held a gluten-free challenge in the office; we asked all employees to go gluten-free and see how long they could stick to it. The goal was to show our staff the difficulties that face a person who is gluten-intolerant.

What are the company’s goals for this participation?

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery is committed to giving back to the gluten-free community. Through partnerships with local and national celiac and gluten-free organizations, we hope to elevate the level of education and awareness on celiac disease and gluten-intolerance through initiatives that drive toward a hope for a better, brighter future.

Are there any upcoming gluten-free events? (either online or not) 

We are proud to be part of the very active local and national gluten-free community. Last year we attended over 50 events across the country.  Our roster is full again this year! Alex from our team is looking forward to attending the Celiac Awareness Tour in Pittsburgh, Pa on January 28^th and the GF Expo Tour in Houston, TX on February 4th. Check their events page for the full list of events that Rudi’s Gluten-Free will be participating in.

You started with a lineup of three breads then added buns and pizza crust. Are there any new products that we can look forward to? 

We are always looking for new ways to delight the gluten-free consumer with products that do not contain gluten but taste like the real thing.  Look for new innovations from us in the spring and late summer.  For now, our lips are sealed!

Photos courtesy Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery